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Glycosphingolipids in insects. Chemical structures of two variants of a glucuronic-acid-containing ceramide hexasaccharide from a pupae of Calliphora vicina (Insecta: Diptera), distinguished by a N-acetylglucosamine-bound phosphoethanolamine sidechain.

The two major components of the acidic glycolipid fraction from the pupae of Calliphora vicina were isolated using high-performance liquid chromatography. The acidic moiety was identified as glucuronic acid by beta-glucuronidase cleavage and gas chromatographic analysis as the pentafluoropropionyl derivative. The structures of the carbohydrate moiety were elucidated by peracetylation, methylation, exoglycosidase cleavage, fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometric and 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analysis. The only difference between the two hexasaccharide variants was the presence, in one of them, of a between the two hexasaccharide variants was the presence, in one of them, of a phosphoethanolamine (AeP) sidechain on the third sugar of the sequence, i.e. N-acetylglucosamine. The composition of the ceramide moiety was dominated by a C20:0 fatty acid (arachidic acid) and a C14:1 sphingoid base (tetradecasphing-4-enine). The chemical structures of the two insect acidic glycosphingolipids were determined to be: GlcA(beta 1-3)Gal-(beta 1-3)GalNAc(beta 1-4)GlcNAc(beta 1-3)Man (beta 1-4)Glc(beta 1-1)Cer; GlcA(beta 1-3)Gal(beta 1-3)GalNAc(beta 1-4)[2AeP-6]-GlcNAc(beta 1-3) Man(beta 1-4)Glc(beta 1-1)Cer. Such glucuronic-acid-containing insect glycosphingolipids have been given the generic name arthrosides, with the implied synonymity to the gangliosides.

Acetylglucosamine↗

Isolation and characterization of cytochrome c from the marine copepod Tigriopus californicus.

Mitochondrial energy production requires complex interactions among proteins encoded in both the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. The intergenomic coevolution of interacting gene products has been previously suggested based on interspecific comparisons of cytochrome c (encoded by the nuclear CYC gene) and cytochrome c oxidase (partly encoded in the mitochondrial DNA by the COX1, COX2 and COX3 genes). In the intertidal copepod, Tigriopus californicus, non-synonymous substitutions in the COX1 gene have previously been found in interpopulation comparisons. In order to determine if CYC also shows interpopulation variation, this gene was isolated from a cDNA library using a degenerate primer/polymerase chain reaction approach. Characterization of a cDNA sequence and 25 genomic DNA sequences derived from four T. californicus populations yielded the following results: (1) the T. californicus CYC gene is interrupted by an intron that occurs at the same position as the intron found in vertebrate CYC genes; (2) there is extensive sequence variation within both the coding region and intron of this gene and the vast majority of this variation occurs between sequences drawn from geographically distinct populations; (3) the coding sequence variation includes a minimum of five amino acid replacement substitutions; (4) segregation of length variants among offspring in an interpopulation cross revealed genotypic ratios consistent with the proposed allelic nature of the CYC variants. These results demonstrate that the requisite genetic variation required for intergenomic coevolution exists in the CYC-COX system in T. californicus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Nucleotide sequence diversity at the alcohol dehydrogenase 1 locus in wild barley (Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum): an evaluation of the background selection hypothesis.

The background selection hypothesis predicts a reduction in nucleotide site diversity and an excess of rare variants, owing to linkage associations with deleterious alleles. This effect is expected to be amplified in species that are predominantly self-fertilizing. To examine the predictions of the background selection hypothesis in self-fertilizing species, we sequenced 1,362 bp of adh1, a gene for alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh; alcohol:NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.1), in a sample of 45 accessions of wild barley, Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum, drawn from throughout the species range. The region sequenced included 786 bp of exon sequence (part of exon 4, all of exons 5-9, and part of exon 10) and 576 bp of intron sequence (all of introns 4-9). There were 19 sites polymorphic for nucleotide substitutions, 8 in introns, and 11 in exons. Of the 11 nucleotide substitutions in codons, 4 were synonymous and 7 were nonsynonymous, occurring uniquely in the sample. There was no evidence of recombination in the region studied, and the estimated effective population size (Ne) based on synonymous sites was approximately 1.8-4.2 x 10(5). Several tests reveal that the pattern of nonsynonymous substitutions departs significantly from neutral expectations. However, the data do not appear to be consistent with recovery from a population bottleneck, recent population expansion, selective sweep, or strong positive selection. Though several features of the data are consistent with background selection, the distributions of polymorphic synonymous and intron sites are not perturbed toward a significant excess of rare alleles as would be predicted by background selection.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

Overestimated frequency of a possible emphysema-susceptibility allele when microsomal epoxide hydrolase is genotyped by the conventional polymerase chain reaction-based method.

A recent association study suggested that the His113 variant of microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEPHX) may confer a risk for development of emphysema, presumably by increasing susceptibility to smoking injury. Before considering a possible role of this enzyme in pulmonary disease, we attempted to characterize the genetic polymorphism further. The Tyr/His113 polymorphism within exon 3 of mEPHX was initially examined in 62 healthy individuals by conventional methods involving polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based determination of a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Genomic nucleotide sequences, including the polymorphic site and the downstream primer sequence, were further analyzed in 95 unrelated, healthy Japanese volunteers by single-stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis and direct sequencing. Genotyping by the first method (PCR-RFLP) revealed that the allelic distribution in our test population apparently deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Sequence analysis showed that a synonymous nucleotide substitution, AAG to AAA (Lys119), was located just within the published primer site. The AAA at codon 119 was present only in alleles with Tyr113, and its frequency reached 0.31 in our panel of 190 Japanese alleles. This substitution potentially hampered PCR amplification because of the nucleotide mismatch, with the result that the frequency of the Tyr113 variation was underestimated. The frequency of His113, a possible emphysema susceptibility allele of the mEPHX gene, was thus overestimated when human DNA samples were genotyped in the conventional way. Depending on the population(s) tested, this anomaly could represent a pitfall for PCR-based association studies.

Alleles↗

Typing of Candida glabrata in clinical isolates by comparative sequence analysis of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 2 gene distinguishes two clusters of strains associated with geographical sequence polymorphisms.

We tested whether comparative sequence analysis of the mitochondrion-encoded cytochrome c oxidase subunit 2 gene (COX2) could be used to distinguish intraspecific variants of Candida glabrata. Mitochondrial genes are suitable for investigation of close phylogenetic relationships because they evolve much faster than nuclear genes, which in general exhibit very limited intraspecific variation. For this survey we used 11 clinical isolates of C. glabrata from three different geographical locations in Brazil, 10 isolates from one location in the United States, 1 American Type Culture Collection strain as an internal control, and the published sequence of strain CBS 138. The complete coding region of COX2 was amplified from total cellular DNA, and both strands were sequenced twice for each strain. These sequences were aligned with published sequences from other fungi, and the numbers of substitutions and phylogenetic relationships were determined. Typing of these strains was done by using 17 substitutions, with 8 being nonsynonymous and 9 being synonymous. Also, cDNAs made from purified mitochondrial polyadenylated RNA were sequenced to confirm that our sequences correspond to the expressed copies and not nuclear pseudogenes and that a frameshift mutation exists in the 3' end of the coding region (position 673) relative to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae sequence and the previously published C. glabrata sequence. We estimated the average evolutionary rate of COX2 to be 11.4% sequence divergence/10(8) years and that phylogenetic relationships of yeasts based on these sequences are consistent with rRNA sequence data. Our analysis of COX2 sequences enables typing of C. glabrata strains based on 13 haplotypes and suggests that positions 51 and 519 indicate a geographical polymorphism that discriminates strains isolated in the United States and strains isolated in Brazil. This provides for the first time a means of typing of Candida strains that cause infections by use of direct sequence comparisons and the associated divergence estimates.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Genetic heterogeneity of hypervariable region 1 of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome and sensitivity of HCV to alpha interferon therapy.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) populations persist in vivo as a mixture of heterogeneous viruses called quasispecies. The relationship between the genetic heterogeneity of these variants and their responses to antiviral treatment remains to be elucidated. We have studied 26 virus strains to determine the influence of hypervariable region 1 (HVR-1) of the HCV genome on the effectiveness of alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) therapy. Following PCR amplification, we cloned and sequenced HVR-1. Pretreatment serum samples from 13 individuals with chronic hepatitis C whose virus was subsequently eradicated by treatment were compared with samples from 13 nonresponders matched according to the major factors known to influence the response, i.e., sex, genotype, and pretreatment serum HCV RNA concentration. The degree of virus variation was assessed by analyzing 20 clones per sample and by calculating nucleotide sequence entropy (complexity) and genetic distances (diversity). Types of mutational changes were also determined by calculating nonsynonymous substitutions per nonsynonymous site (K(a)) and synonymous substitutions per synonymous site (K(s)). The paired-comparison analysis of the nucleotide sequence entropy and genetic distance showed no statistical differences between responders and nonresponders. By contrast, nonsynonymous substitutions were more frequent than synonymous substitutions (P </= 0.05) in responders, but there was no significant difference in nonresponders. Nonsynonymous substitutions tended to be more frequent than synonymous substitutions in women (P = 0.06) but not in men. Nucleotide entropy and genetic distances were significantly related to serum RNA concentration (P </= 0.01). Our findings suggest that after controlling for the major determinants of interferon response, neither complexity nor diversity of the HVR-1 region is associated per se with virus eradication. Because a higher proportion of nonsynonymous substitutions than synonymous substitutions was found only in responders, host anti-HCV-specific immune response rather than viral factors may be playing an important role in the interferon response.

Adult↗

Genetic analysis of recent Taiwanese isolates of a variant of coxsackievirus A24.

Epidemics of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) caused by a variant of coxsackievirus A24 (CA24v) reappeared in Taiwan in 1990 and 1994, following the first two epidemics of 1985--86 and 1988--89. To analyze the genetic diversity of recent CA24v in Taiwan, 7 Taiwanese strains isolated during the 1990--94 period were studied together with one Japanese and two Thai strains isolated in 1993. A fragment of 674 nucleotides between the carboxy terminal 3A and the amino terminal 3D polymerase, including the entire 3C protease (3C(pro)), was amplified by a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the nucleotide sequences were determined. In the 549 nucleotides (183 amino acids) of the entire 3C(pro), we found nucleotide differences at 80 positions between 10 strains and the prototype strain, EH24/70, one of the earliest strains of CA24v. Most of the nucleotide changes were synonymous substitutions and only nine amino acid changes were found. The nucleotide sequence homologies among 71 strains worldwide were 88-100%. These 71 nucleotide sequences were then analyzed by Neighbor-joining method and phylogenetically separated into three distinct genotypes. Genotype I consisted of early strains isolated in 1970--71 from Singapore and Hong Kong. Genotype II included isolates from Singapore and Thailand obtained in 1975. Genotype III comprised strains from the eastern hemisphere isolated in 1985--94 from Japan, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Pakistan and Ghana. They were further divided chronologically into six clusters. The recent isolates from Taiwan obtained in 1985/1986, 1988/1989 and 1990--94 were classified into genotype III Clusters 1, 5, and 6 respectively. The evolutionary rate was re-estimated to be 3 x 10(- 3) 30 years after the emergence of the virus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Novel HLA-B35 subtypes: putative gene conversion events with donor sequences from alleles common in native Americans (HLA-B*4002 or B*4801).

In a study of 523 normal subjects of differing ethnic groups, including 189 South American Indians, we have described novel hybridization pattern corresponding to 22 potentially new HLA-B locus alleles. Three of these alleles were subtypes of B35. The locally, assigned alleles, B-3504v, B-3505v, and B-3508v have been sequenced and were officially designated as B*3512, B*3517, and B*3518, respectively. In addition, we determined the nucleotide sequence of another new variant, locally designated B-3509.2. B*3517, was found in 3 individuals (2 Hispanic, 1 Caucasian), it differs from B*3505 by 3 nucleotide substitutions that lead to changes in residues 94, 95, and 103. B*3517 differs from B*3501 in residues 97 and 103. B*3518 was found in 7 South American Indian individuals (6 of 124 Toba Indians, 1 of 18 Pilaga Indians). It differs from B*3509 by 2 silent nucleotide substitutions and by one nonsynonymous substitution in codon 156 (Arg-->Leu). B*3512 differs from B*3504 by 3 nucleotides, one of them leading to a substitution in residue 103 (Val-->Leu). B*3509 was observed in 3 individuals from the Wichi tribe. The nucleotide sequence of one of these was determined and was found to differ from B*35091 by two synonymous nucleotide substitutions. The distinguishing amino acid substitutions in residues 95, 97, and 156 contribute to the structure of specificity pockets F, C, and E, and D and E respectively, therefore, it is possible that some of the new alleles may have different peptide binding profiles. It has been shown that differences at residue 156 may elicit different allorecognition and mediate graft-versus-host disease and rejection in bone marrow transplantation. The mechanisms for the generation of these novel alleles may involve gene conversion events in which short exon-3 segments from the common Native American alleles B*4002 or B*4801 were inserted in HLA-B35 backbone structures. The novel allele B*3518 is closely related to B*35092 and to B*3508. Two alternative hypotheses for its generation can be suggested, the most plausible one would involve B*35092, the putative progenitor of B*3518, since both alleles are prevalent in the same Indian tribes.

Alleles↗

Candidate gene screening for posterior polymorphous dystrophy.

PURPOSE: To perform candidate gene screening for posterior polymorphous corneal dystrophy (PPCD). The initial 3 genes chosen, ID1, BCL2L1, and VSX1, lie within the region on chromosome 20 to which the PPCD gene has been linked, and mutations in VSX1 have previously been identified in patients with PPCD. METHODS: DNA extraction, PCR amplification, and direct sequencing of the VSX1, BCL2L1, and ID1 genes were performed in 14 affected patients (12 families) as well as in unaffected family members and healthy control subjects. RESULTS: No coding region mutations in the BCL2L1 or ID1 genes were identified in affected patients. In the VSX1 gene, the previously identified Gly160Asp missense change was not present in any of our 12 probands, and the Asp144Glu mutation was identified in 1 affected patient as well as 1 unaffected control individual. Additionally, 2 synonymous substitutions were identified, Ala182Ala (8 affected patients from 8 families) and Gly239Gly (1 affected patient and 1 unaffected patient from the same family). In the ID1 gene, the synonymous substitution Gly216Gly was observed in 2 affected patients (2 families) who also demonstrated a single nucleotide change in both the 5'UTR (2129T>C) and 3'UTR (3267A>G). Another 5'UTR change, 2177T>C, was identified in 1 affected patient and his unaffected parent, both of whom also demonstrated the 2129T>C and 3267A>G changes. CONCLUSIONS: None of the 12 probands with PPCD demonstrated the previously described Gly160Asp mutation within the VSX1 gene. The Asp144Glu missense change, present in an affected patient as well as an unaffected control individual, appears to be a rare polymorphism, not a disease-causing mutation. No coding region changes were identified in the ID1 or BCL2L1 genes. Therefore, although we report a number of novel polymorphisms in the VSX1 and ID1 genes, the failure to identify any sequence variants that sort with the disease phenotype suggests that other genetic factors are involved in PPCD.

Corneal Dystrophies, Hereditary↗

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein variants in sporadic pituitary adenomas.

CONTEXT: Proximal pathogenesis of pituitary tumors remains largely unclear. Recently, three heterozygous germline mutations were reported in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein (AIP) gene in Finnish and Italian families with pituitary tumor predisposition and in Finnish patients harboring sporadic pituitary tumors. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to examine the frequency of the three AIP germline mutations in U.S. patients harboring sporadic pituitary tumors and to correlate clinical features of pituitary tumors with these mutations, if they exist in these patients. DESIGN: Genomic DNA was extracted from lymphoblastoid cell lines established from patients with sporadic pituitary tumors. Three segments of the AIP gene that contain the reported mutation sites for Q14X, IVS3-1G>A, and R304X were amplified by PCR and sequenced. SETTING: The study was conducted in a private nonprofit academic medical center. PATIENTS: The subjects were 66 consecutive patients (including 52 with acromegaly or prolactinoma) participating in a pituitary tumor database who consented to genetic study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The main outcome measure was the prevalence of these specific germline mutations in affected individuals. RESULTS: AIP mutations were not detected in the 66 patients. A synonymous polymorphism was found in a single patient with acromegaly. CONCLUSIONS: The three specific AIP germline mutations do not play an important role in pathogenesis of sporadic pituitary tumors in U.S. patients.

Adenoma↗

Genetic diversity and spread of Bovine leukaemia virus isolates in Argentine dairy cattle.

Effective tools for use in control programmes against bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) infections require insight into the relationship between the variant structure of the bovine leukaemia virus and the spatial-temporal interaction of isolates and hosts. Our study showed the presence of two types of BLV isolates - Australian and Argentine - in dairy herds from various parts of Central Argentina; these isolates were characterised by RFLP on PCR amplicons, and some of them were confirmed by sequencing. One genotype (Argentine) was present in all herds, and the Australian genotype was found in two herds. Phylogenetic analysis indicated four clusters. The first cluster was composed of the Argentine isolates and one from Brazil; the second was composed of several isolates found in European countries and one from Brazil; the third cluster was composed of BLV isolates found in Japan and Germany; the fourth cluster included American and Australian isolates and those from other countries. The comparison of a number of synonymous and non-synonymous nucleotide substitutions using various BLV genes revealed purifying selection, suggesting that molecular evolution occurred under some functional constraint.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Genetic determinants of SARS-CoV-2 and the clinical outcome of COVID-19 in Southern Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a severe impact on population health. The genetic determinants of&#xa0;severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in southern Bangladesh are not well understood. METHODS: This study aimed to determine the genomic variation in SARS-CoV-2 genomes that have evolved over 2 years of the pandemic in southern Bangladesh and their association with disease outcomes and virulence of this virus. We investigated demographic variables, disease outcomes of COVID-19 patients and genomic features of SARS-CoV-2. RESULTS: We observed that the disease severity was significantly higher in adults (85.3%) than in children (14.7%), because the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) diminishes with ageing that causes differences in innate and adaptive immunity. The clade GK (n&#x2009;=&#x2009;66) was remarkable between June 2021 and January 2022. Because of the mutation burden, another clade, GRA started a newly separated clustering in December 2021. The burden was significantly higher in GRA (1.5-fold) highlighted in mild symptoms of COVID-19 patients than in other clades (GH, GK, and GR). Mutations were accumulated mainly in S (22.15 mutations per segment) and ORF1ab segments. Missense (67.5%) and synonymous (18.31%) mutations were highly noticed in adult patients with mild cases rather than severe cases, especially in ORF1ab segments. Moreover, we observed many unique mutations in S protein in mild cases compared to severe, and homology modeling revealed that those might cause more folding in the protein's alpha helix and beta sheets. CONCLUSION: Our study identifies some risk factors such as age comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, and renal disease) that are associated with severe COVID-19, providing valuable insight regarding prioritizing vaccination for high-risk individuals and allocating health care and resources. The findings of this work outlined the knowledge and mutational basis of SARS-CoV-2 for the next treatment steps. Further studies are needed to confirm the effects of structural and functional proteins of SARS-CoV-2 in detail for monitoring the emergence of new variants in future.

Adult↗

Evidence for positive selection in the capsid protein-coding region of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) subjected to experimental passage regimens.

We present sequence data from two genomic regions of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) subjected to several experimental passage regimens. Maximum-likelihood estimates of the nonsynonymous-to-synonymous rate ratio parameter (d(N)/d(S)) suggested the action of positive selection on some antigenic sites of the FMDV capsid during some experimental passages. These antigenic sites showed an accumulation of convergent amino acid replacements during massive serial cytolytic passages and also in persistent infections of FMDV in cell culture. This accumulation was most significant at the antigenic site A (the G-H loop of capsid VP1), which includes an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) cellular recognition motif. Our analyses also identified a subregion of VP3, part of the fivefold axis of FMDV particles, that also appeared to be subjected to positive selection of amino acid replacements. From these results, we can conclude that under the restrictive conditions imposed either by the presence of the monoclonal antibodies, by the persistent infections, or by the competition processes established between different variants of the viral population, amino acid replacement in some capsid-coding regions can be positively selected toward an increase of those mutants with a higher capability to infect the cell.

Aphthovirus↗

[Factitious disorder and factitious disorder by proxy].

Similar to the adult patient, a child or adolescent may actively feign or produce artificial symptoms (synonymous: Munchausen syndrome). The more frequent case is that the child suffers from being an object of symptom fabrication induced by a close person caring for the child, regularly the mother (Munchausen syndrome by proxy). This review focuses on psychopathological aspects of the clinically more relevant factitious disorder by proxy. Typical behaviour and personality characteristics are presented that can be taken as clinical warning signs. Doctor-mother-interaction is affectively challenging due to conflicting tasks imposed on the physician. Complementary to pediatric exclusion of genuine disease, psychopathological assessment is required to exclude other sources of deviant illness behaviour. Factious disorder shares particular features (active violation of the child, false report of history, aggravated symptom presentation and increased doctor-hopping, difficulties in conforming maternal report in biomedical data) with other psychopathological entities (child abuse, simulation, dissociative disorders, somatoform disorders including hypochondria, variants of maternal overprotection and infantilization, psychosis or delusion in the mother). Criteria for differentiation are presented. Three concepts on the psychopathological etiology of factitious disorder by proxy are relevant: In some cases, it may be conceived as secondary manifestation of a primary psychopathological entity or personality disorder. Learning theory emphasises operant rewards received from vicarious sick role. Attachment theory provides possible explanations concerning the traumatic impact on the child, early sources of psychopathology in the fabricating mother and risks for intergenerational transmission of factitious disorders.

Adolescent↗

Genomic variations in echovirus 30 persistent isolates recovered from a chronically infected immunodeficient child and comparison with the reference strain.

Seven sequential isolates of echovirus type 30 (EV30) were recovered over 22 months from a child with severe combined immune deficiency syndrome. The nucleotide sequences of the 5' halves of the genomes (4,400 nucleotides) of the first (S1) and last (S7) isolates were determined and compared with that of the EV30 Bastianni reference strain, also determined in this study. In genome regions P1 and P2, 101 variations were identified between the two isolates. Synonymous differences far outnumbered nonsynonymous differences. Amino acid changes affected both capsid and nonstructural polypeptides (particularly 2B). The VP1 nucleotide sequences of the seven isolates were determined to analyze genome evolution during the chronic infection. In the phylogenetic tree, the seven isolates were directly related to the prototype strain in an individual monophyletic group, strongly suggesting that the chronic infection in the child arose from a single persistent EV30 isolate. Four lineages were observed in the persistent isolates. Isolates S2, S4, S5, and S6 were close relatives of one another, whereas isolates S1 and S3 formed individual lineages. Isolate S7, distantly related to all other isolates, formed the fourth lineage. These findings suggest the quasispecies nature of the genomes of the seven sequential EV30 isolates. Grouping of persistent isolates on the basis of replicative capacities was consistent with phylogenetic relationships. Overall, the results indicate that genetically related EV30 variants with different replicative capacities coexisted in a carrier state, probably in the gastrointestinal tract, during the infection of the child.

5' Untranslated Regions↗

Murine candidate bleomycin induced pulmonary fibrosis susceptibility genes identified by gene expression and sequence analysis of linkage regions.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary fibrosis is a complex disease for which the predisposing genetic variants remain unknown. In a prior study, susceptibility to bleomycin induced pulmonary fibrosis was mapped to loci Blmpf1 and Blmpf2 on chromosomes 17 and 11, respectively, in a C57BL/6J (B6, susceptible) and C3Hf/KAM (C3H, resistant) mouse cross. METHODS: Herein, the genetic basis of bleomycin induced pulmonary fibrosis was investigated in an approach combining gene expression and sequencing data with previously mapped linkage intervals. RESULTS: In this study, gene expression analysis with microarrays revealed 1892 genes or ESTs (expressed sequence tags) to be differentially expressed between bleomycin treated B6 and C3H mice and 67 of these genetic elements map to Blmpf1 or Blmpf2. This group included genes involved in an oxidative stress response, in apoptosis, and in immune regulation. A comparison of the B6 and C3H sequence, for Blmpf1 and Blmpf2, made using the NCBI database and available C3H sequence, revealed approximately 35% of the genes in these regions contain non-synonymous coding sequence changes. An assessment of genotype/phenotype correlation among other inbred strains revealed 36% of these B6/C3H sequence variations predict for the known bleomycin induced fibrosis susceptibility of the DBA (susceptible) and A/J (resistant) mouse strains. CONCLUSIONS: Combining genomics approaches of differential gene expression and sequence variation potentially identifies approximately 5% the linked genes as fibrosis susceptibility candidate genes in this mouse cross.

Animals↗

Comparative Genomic Analysis of Six Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Strains: Insights into Genetic Diversity and Antibiotic Resistance.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is a significant pathogen that causes respiratory diseases, which have had a substantial economic impact on the poultry industry. Despite the resistance of MG to antibiotics, it is imperative to identify genetic diversity in order to develop countermeasures. In this study, the genomes of six MG strains were examined to gain deeper insights into the mutations. The data pertaining to Variant Annotation and Mutation Analysis using SnpEff, along with the calculation of mutation rates as the ratio of total mutations to the length of the genomic regions analyzed, were thoroughly examined. The comprehensive evaluation yielded a total of 25,942 variants across the six strains, underscoring substantial genetic diversity. Notably, strain S6 exhibited a preponderance of frameshift mutations. A notable finding was the presence of a mutation in the MsbA gene shared by all six strains. Furthermore, five of the six strains, with the exception of strain F99 Lab, exhibited a mutation at position 5158, which impacts a multidrug transport system. Notably, strain ATCC exhibits a distinctive mutation at position 942, while strain S6 displays a unique mutation at position 6855, which is linked to efflux ABC transporter components. Furthermore, a substantial degree of genetic variation was observed among the CrmA, GapA, and vlhA genes among the various strains. High-impact changes, such as insertions and deletions, exhibited a higher frequency in CrmA, particularly in strain S6. Conversely, nonsynonymous variations demonstrated a heightened prevalence in GapA, particularly in strain F99 Lab. The vlhA gene exhibited a spectrum of effects, ranging from synonymous mutations to high-impact mutations such as stop-gains and frameshifts, particularly in strains k5111a and k4602. The functional variations observed among the strains can be attributed to these mutations, which have the potential to alter gene expression or protein function. Furthermore, substantial mutations in the dxr and rpoC genes were associated with antibiotic resistance. These mutations underscore the ongoing evolutionary adaptations of M. gallisepticum. Consequently, there is an imperative for the revision of treatment protocols and the formulation of targeted vaccines to regulate resistance within the poultry industry.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum↗

No association of a non-synonymous PLAU polymorphism with Alzheimer's disease and disease-related traits.

A 30 cM broad genomic region on the long arm of chromosome 10 at 80 cM shows significant and consistent linkage with AD and with plasma concentration of the beta-amyloid peptide 1-42 (Abeta42). The PLAU gene, which is involved in the production and degradation of Abeta42, maps to that region and is therefore a strong positional candidate for association with sporadic AD. We analyzed the non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2227564 in two independent case-control series from Switzerland and Greece and investigated the influence of this SNP on cognition in elderly individuals. Because PLAU modulates the cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and the degradation of Abeta, we also determined the levels of Abeta in the brain, plasma and in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). We found no evidence for association of this SNP with AD or with AD-related traits such as beta-amyloid load in the medial temporal lobe or Abeta42 concentration in the CSF and in plasma. Our findings do not support a major role of PLAU polymorphisms as susceptibility factors for AD and suggest that large-scale association studies which combine genetic information from populations with similar genetic background might prevent the generation of spurious associations. Although PLAU may be pathophysiologially related to AD, the contribution of common genetic variants of this gene to the risk for developing AD is likely to be low.

Aged↗